As industries worldwide move toward data-driven, automated systems to improve accuracy and compliance, South Africa’s building sector is undergoing a similar shift. The Building Industry Bargaining Council (BIBC), which serves more than 3 500 employers and 30 000 employees in the greater Cape Peninsula area, has been steadily implementing digital tools to strengthen the administration of employee benefits and streamline complex monthly processes.

Over the past four years, the organisation has modernised systems that once relied heavily on paper, manual processing, and outdated communication channels. Today, the BIBC is using technology to streamline operations, improve compliance, and give employers and employees faster, more reliable access to the information that matters most.

“For decades, our systems were built on processes that made sense at the time but could no longer support the scale and complexity of today’s building industry,” says Danie Hattingh, spokesperson for business at the BIBC. “Technology has allowed us to rethink how we serve our members”.

To appreciate the scale of the change, one must remember how things were done not too long ago. In its early years as an Industrial Council in the 1900s, most BIBC administration involved hand-written records, physical stamps, and manual updates. Even in the early 2020s, employers routinely sent attendance registers by fax or email, often as handwritten notes, scanned documents, or spreadsheets in varying formats.

The volume of data arriving in different formats created enormous administrative burdens. Thousands of employee benefit records had to be manually captured each month. Matching employer deposits with submitted benefit returns was one of the biggest challenges especially when payments lacked reference numbers or when benefits were submitted for unregistered workers.

“These legacy systems made accurate and timely administration extremely difficult,” says Hattingh. “The industry needed a modern solution that would bring consistency, accuracy, and transparency.”

Following the COVID-19 shutdown, the BIBC leadership decided to make modernisation a strategic priority. A dedicated Business Analyst was appointed to help redesign benefit administration processes, leading to the development and rollout of the Employer Employee Interface System (eesi© 1.0) in 2023.

For the first time, employers could capture and submit all attendance and payroll information electronically in a single standard format. The transition brought immediate results: no more handwritten or faxed attendance registers, a dramatic improvement in the accuracy and completeness of submissions, the faster processing of returns, better compliance tracking and more frequent updates for employees on their benefit status

“eesi© 1.0 was a turning point,” Hattingh explains. “It reduced errors, saved time, and gave employers far more control and visibility over their submissions. It was an essential first step toward a fully modernised system.”

Despite the success of eesi© 1.0, two major issues persisted: employers submitting unregistered workers on returns and unmatched or incorrect deposits slowing down benefit processing. To address these problems, the BIBC conceptualised and rolled out eesi© 2.0; first in test phase in February 2025, and then industry-wide in June 2025.

eesi© 2.0 introduced a significant improvement. Employers can no longer submit benefit returns for unregistered employees and the system now requires validated employee data upfront, helping to ensure accurate and timely processing.

The final major enhancement, a Payment Gateway integrated into the BIBC system, was launched on 13 August 2025. Employers are now automatically redirected to make an immediate, correct payment for employee benefits, eliminating common issues such as overpayments and underpayments, missing or incorrect reference numbers and delays caused by unmatched deposits.

This automation allows the BIBC to process transactions faster and more accurately, while giving employers a seamless and transparent experience.

As with any technological transition, the journey has included learning curves, some technical issues, and mixed feedback. Some employers have found the change challenging, while many others have welcomed the simplicity and efficiency of the new systems.

“Technology always comes with an adjustment period,” says Hattingh. “But the long-term benefits are undeniable from easier submissions and faster turnaround times to greater transparency. These advancements aren’t just system upgrades; they reflect our commitment to serving the industry more efficiently and ensuring employees receive the benefits they’re entitled to. With patience and collaboration, every stakeholder will ultimately feel the positive impact.”

From handwritten notes and field-based cheque distribution to a fully integrated digital system, the BIBC has fundamentally reshaped its administrative landscape. Today, it supports more than 3 500 employers and 30 000 employees in the Greater Cape Peninsula region with tools that are faster, smarter, and more reliable.

Each year, the BIBC administers holiday and bonus benefits to more than 30 000 industry employees. As the Council prepares for this year’s distribution, the new digital systems are expected to improve processing speed and ensure accurate allocation of employer-submitted contributions.

Hattingh says the focus remains on ensuring smooth, reliable administration in partnership with the industry. “These systems reflect our ongoing commitment to improving service delivery. Our goal is to ensure that benefit payments remain accurate, timely, and fully aligned with our mandate.”